Doctors: Make choices to avoid or delay diabetes

As the prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled in eight years in Volusia County, doctors say the disease can often be delayed or thwarted with smart choices.

SKYLER SWISHERSTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH — As the prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled in eight years in Volusia County, doctors are spreading the message that the disease can often be delayed or thwarted with smart choices. The rise can be attributed in part to unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, said Joan Royal, a nurse educator for Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center. "We like to eat," she said. "Let's face it: We have portion distortion." In Volusia County, the percentage of adults with diabetes increased from 7.3 percent in 2002 to 13.5 percent in 2010, according to the Florida Department of Health. The trend has been less pronounced in Flagler County, where the percentage amount rose from 8.5 percent to 10.2 percent. In an effort to slow the increase, Florida Hospital offered free screenings, healthy cooking demonstrations and other educational information Wednesday in conjunction with World Diabetes Day.Often, patients fall through the cracks and only enter the health care system when they have developed diabetes, said Dr. George Ehringer, medical director for the outpatient diabetes program at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center. If a doctor had counseled them earlier, it's possible they would have made lifestyle changes to delay the disease's onset, saving the health care system money. "It can be prevented and put off," Ehringer said. "You just have to be aware of it and get checked." Fifty-six-year-old Karen Anthony doesn't have health insurance, and she said getting screened for diabetes could have been a difficult proposition. Anthony, a resident of Port Orange, learned she didn't have diabetes during her free screening Wednesday. "It's good for our health," Anthony said. "It gives me a reading of where I stand." The cost of treating the disease is massive. The United States spends an estimated $116 billion in excess medical proceeds because of diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. An additional $58 billion is lost because of decreased worker productivity caused by the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is forecasting the problem will only get worse. If present trends continue, 1 in 3 people will have diabetes by 2050, according to the CDC.Kim Koevenig, coordinator of Halifax Health's outpatient diabetes education program, works with about 500 patients on how to manage their diabetes. While insurance will pay for diabetes education once someone is diabetic, it typically doesn't cover exercise or prevention programs for people at risk of developing the disease. Volusia Flagler Family YMCA received a grant from the CDC to help people at risk of developing diabetes, but more could be done to prevent the disease, she said. "If we can catch people on the front end, you can keep them from getting so sick and going to the emergency room," Koevenig said.